Pilots Rest

This is the second time I have stayed at Pilot's Rest, its great to be able to pull in and unload.

The proportions of the accomodation really suite us with the two bedrooms and shower room on the ground floor. The dinning table and coffee table are perhaps a little bit too large. Its challenging to sit 6 people at the table. The linen and towels were all clean and it good order and beds are comfortable. The floor is a bit tired and had not been cleaned that well. We could see mop marks and we brushed out sand from all the corners when we arrived and when we left. I expect that in a holilday cottage that takes dogs, it was good that all the necessary kit was there to brush out. I really appreciated the gate for the top of the stairs. Best of all is the location , on the main street less than 2 minutes walk from the marvellous beach and with twin views from the lounge, down the street and towards the estuary. We love Alnmouth and would recommend this cottage as summer stop over.

This was a very pleasant base for the time we had on the NE coast.

There was nothing we wanted for that wasn't available in the property. Cosy, comfortable, complete. Alnmouth itself is a delight, and then you just spear out in whatever direction takes your fancy.

We had been concerned about some previous negative feedback and had contacted Northumbria cottages re our concerns a few weeks before our trip, particularly mentions of cold and damp.

They rang me back, after talking to the owner, to say these problems had been sorted. Thank you. We needn't have worried. When we arrived on 22nd Dec the cottage was warm and welcoming. There were some thoughtful touches. There was a welcome card, prosecco and chocolates, a decorated Xmas tree and a new roasting tin for a turkey. Thank you, these were very much appreciated. There was also a small cleaning welcome pack, including a couple of dishwasher tablets as well as some small sachets of tea, coffee, milk, and biscuits. The kitchen is well equipped with lots of cups, glasses, plates, dishes, cutlery as well as pans, cooking utensils and oven dishes. Also salt and pepper mills. There is a vacuum cleaner and a dustpan and brush. The fridge is a small under counter fridge with a small freezer compartment. The cottage is in an excellent location, only a couple of minutes walk to the fabulous Alnmouth beach and strides away from several good pubs and the Whittling House restaurant which is most definitely worth visiting. 11 of us went for our daughter's birthday. The food was superb. Pilot's Rest is right beside the main road in Alnmouth but we were able to park all 3 cars within a few metres of the cottage and pulled up right outside to unload and load. We had a lovely time at Pilot's Rest but a few maintenance issues prevent me from giving the property 5 stars. The downstairs double bed creaks a lot. I weigh 6 stone. My slightest movement resulted in creaking. We could also feel springs? in the mattress. A new mattress is a must. In the same room the door could not be opened from the inside. This could potentially be a health and safety issue. A person could get trapped in here. We had a shoe placed strategically so that the door could not close fully. This door knob mechanism needs to be looked at and sorted. The twin room downstairs also had issues with door furniture. The knob on the outside of the door came off in your hand. This needs sorting too. At the window in the twin room is a blind that has no chain for opening and closing. We had it closed for the whole week. Opposite the bedroom window is a house that has a security light on all night. Even with the blinds closed the bedroom was very light, impacting the occupant's sleep. A blackout blind is needed and ideally curtains as well. The King room upstairs is beautiful and spacious, however, there is a bedside lamp which looks quite new but is broken. The lamp shade is balanced on the lamp base so that if it is touched it falls off. A new lamp shade would sort this problem. I hope the owner reads my comments , appreciates that I am saying our stay was enjoyable but there are essential repairs and improvements needed.

Lovely property, great location & everything we needed.

Only downside was the heating….it was chilly & on our final morning we had no heating, even though we didn’t have to check out until 10am.

Lovely accommodation right in the centre of Alnmouth.

Well equipped and very comfortable. A lovely shower, but elderly hands found it very stiff to turn off fully. We couldn't work out how to turn the heating and towel rails on for a short time. Simple instructions would be very helpful.

Worst place I have ever booked.

It is extremely smelly and dirty. We only stayed one night and cut our holiday short due to the appalling smell and dirt in the place. Hairs and stains on bedding, dummies under the bed, urine stained blanket in the cupboard, cobwebs everywhere, dust everywhere, pillows smelt sweaty, fridge dirty, crumbs on chairs and table and worktops, greasy cooker hood with finger marks, towels smelt musty and damp, toe nail on window ledge. Most windows blinds broken and stained. The twin room has no curtain and an outside light on all night directed straight at the window leaving it impossible to sleep. The smell in the downstairs rooms was gut wrenching. Sykes have not been responsive to texts, emails and what's app and hard to get hold of by phone. Will never go with Sykes again. We had one day of holiday which was spent dealing with the appalling situation we found ourselves in. I couldnt wait to get home and wash every single item that I took into that smelly cottage.

Excellent location in the centre of Alnmouth with parking nearby .

Accommodation was light and comfortable with all the necessary facilities

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here, the accommodation was exactly as described, clean and comfortable.

I had seen a previous comment that the downstairs bedrooms were a bit chilly but that was easily overcome by overriding the room thermostat to “manual” and the rooms were soon toasty. The Pilot’s Rest suited us perfectly, close to the beach with good transport links if you want to explore this beautiful countryside. The Village Shop and Post Office is brilliant if you are self catering and the cottage has everything you need if you do choose to self cater whilst there is a good selection of pubs/ restaurants in the village.

Really enjoyed our stay.

The property had everything we could have wanted. With the bonus of a view of the estuary. Would definitely stay here again.

Lovely view from the sitting room window!

Alnmouth is a great place for a holiday with plenty of choice for eating out. There is no outside space for the cottage and access for loading and unloading is not easy. Kitchen is reasonably well equipped but a few basics for self catering and maybe a welcome pint of milk would have been appreciated. Minimal supply of toilet rolls. A brush for the inevitable sand on the wooden floors would have been useful. Someone did come to check radiators that were not working but we could not get the heating balance between upstairs and downstairs right. The handle on the door on the first floor bedroom does not always work, risk of getting shut in the bedroom.

Good location for Northumberland

Look at complaints already made.

1. Boiler not working. 2. Workmen on site 8.30 working on lintel and brickwork. Left after finding lintel rotten. Complained to Northumberland cottages. Have received no reply. Not really worthy of recommending. Would like feedback please on complaints.

The heating wasn't on enough

Great location,parking not too much of an issue as can get parked for free 2mins away.

Ideal for people with a dog and had a lovely stay.

The property is right in the centre of Alnmouth, very convenient for shops and restaurants.

The upstairs lounge/diner is light and reasonably large (the dining table seats 6 but the sofa would be a bit of a squeeze for 6 adults). The bedroom we used (upstairs) was very light and comfy though the ones downstairs were rather dark. We were aware when booking that there was no allocated parking, but we were able to find a space about 300 yards away which felt pretty safe. On departure we were able to find a space right outside for loading. What was dissappointing was that there were several maintenance issues There was a problem with the TV connection,.The dishwasher lights were constantly flashing (and the machine could not be switched off). The upstairs bedroom blind was not working so you had to draw the heavy curtains to avoid being seen from the flat opposite. While cleanliness was generally good, some surfaces were very cluttered and dusty. As we were only there 3 nights and the conditions were livable, we didn't complain, but hopefully this review will get these things looked at.. If you book this cottage, you should note that the owners only provide the absolute minimum of toilet rolls and washing up liquid etc and there is no hairdryer, so come prepared.

We had a great stay in Pilots Rest.

The rooms were comfortable, the king size double on the 1st floor and the double and twin on the ground floor; the access to the high street and beach was great. The house has a washing machine and small dishwasher, small fridge and microwave which is great. However, as a family of 5 (no dog) we require more cleaning equipment than a hoover for a hard floor eating area. No one wants to hoover on their holiday- a dust pan and brush would have been ideal, a broom or even a mop. Overall we had a great week but this was a hurdle for me!

A lovely property and so close to beach and shopping.

The down side was there was no off road parking. We were assured parking off the main street was possible but the only site possible was the golf course. As a result of parking near to the property we received a parking fine.

Everything was perfect no complaints at all.

Used it as a base to explore, perfectly situated.

Nice location but property while tidy, clearly hasn’t been maintained recently and some easy changes would make it much better.

Evidence of damp in main room, blind on street side window broken, bulb out on main light and one on cooker hood, spotlights over kitchen give no light, mish mash of random glasses, crockery, cold room that only has one radiator which is behind a door. Plus tv aerial cable has exposed wires and causes the signal to be patchy. Light in between upstairs bedroom and bathroom gives hardly any light and flickers ominously. Blind in downstairs double bedroom broken, will not rotate slats. Whilst sheets seem clean, beds have general smell of old sweat, likely mattresses, pillows and duvet. No hairdryer

It was difficult to find a parking space but understand that its the same for the majority in Alnmouth.

Arriving in the dark, the outside light was very dim to be able to gain access to the keysafe to the side of the front door. Booked for the Christmas week, it was disappointing to find no Christmas decorations. The house generally felt a little 'tired' and was not as clean as it could have been. Beds however were clean and very comfy. No handwash in bathrooms which would class as a basic provision by the owners, and toilet rolls provided were half rolls, obviously left over by previous guests. The main bathroom had no blind at the window. No kitchen cleaning products provided or dishwasher tablets apart from a small 'cleaning kit' in a box which included a wash up sponge, two bin bags and a miniscule bottle of washing up liquid. The standard lamp in the sitting room did not work so had to swap it with similar lamp (which was classed as a bedside lamp!) from the double bedroom on ground floor, as without it the sitting room was very gloomy at night. The heating had been left on full so the property certainly wasn't cold. Having said all that, would not rule out staying again but would bring more basic provisions in the knowledge that little offered at the property. Better bedside lamps for reading would be an improvement.

We were particularly keen to use a staircase.

We couldn't find one. The person on call asked us if we had requested one!how could we do this if we had not seen the place! Three days later someone phoned and invited me yo go to an office to resolve the problem! As we were leaving, we found one under a bed!

One toilet did not flush.

Reported it but no action. Towel rail not working even though we followed all instructions. Reported but no action. No place for soap by the bath. Tried the window sill but not waterproof so showed marks straight away. Wardrobe too narrow to hang clothes. No floor brush. Vacuum cleaner totally ineffective. Nowhere to store food in kitchen. Fridge too small to cope with the occupancy claimed. Parking, a nightmare. The cleaners told us they had already reported the faulty toilet a week before. Alnmouth is a lovely place but would not recommend Pilots Rest. Over priced for what you get.

Comfortable and handy accommodation in the centre of Alnmouth.

Minor maintenance problems speedily dealt with by local agent. Some guidance on the obscure parking regulations would be helpful. An ideal location for the Northumberland coast.

Perfectly acceptable base to explore Northumberland coast.

Property slightly let down by cleanliness standards. Also in need of a little maintenance. Overall happy and would stay again if these small things were improved upon.

Great location on the main street close to shops bars and restaurants.

Nice authentic feel with coastal decor and good views over the river. Good size with three bedrooms and good size living room diner, which is upstairs. The main bedroom is adjacent the kitchen diner/living room tv, which makes it a noisy room to sleep in, in general. Heating was on extremely low when we got there so the property was super cold, which was a bit uncomfortable in January. The living room could do with a re-jig so the sofas face the river view rather than have your back to it. No bins in bathrooms etc. All small issues, but all commented on by the people in our party. In general tho, we enjoyed the property, it’s a perfect location for the coastal area, walking, cycling and local facilities.

We have stayed twice at this property for winter breaks.

It is a lovely and spacious cottage, just off the main street and a short stroll to the beautiful beach.

Excellent location, once you know the parking regime in Alnmouth.

Good sized rooms and comfortably furnished. Younger family members would have liked Wi-Fi but I didn't find it a problem to use The Red Lion's.

Lovely property, very cosy and clean, perfect for a cold October week.

Excellent location, property is ample for 6 guests and 2 dogs.

It was clean and tidy when we arrived and nicely decorated.

Pilot´s Rest is a cosy little house with a comfortable living room and a nice kitchen.

The bathrooms are beautiful, as is the kitchen.

Lovely property in a good location.

There is no Wi-Fi to the property which is nice for getting away from every day stresses.

Property was lovely and clean with everything we needed.

In a great location in the centre of the village.